Rampage get out to fast start

Not sure if leprechans had anything to do with what Greg Ireland has accomplished in his first regular-season game in San Antonio. But whatever magic spell he cast over the Rampage, keep those lucky charms coming!

The Rampage put the American Hockey League on notice last weekend.

The doormat that has resided inside the AT&T Center the last three years may need a new destination after the 7-1 clubbing of a team that has usually dominated the Rampage in San Antonio. Iowa came into this season’s opener 5-0-0-0 last year in San Antonio and 13-6-0-1 overall in the two years the team has been in the league.

The NHL’s Phoenix Coyotes top affiliate has had the AHL’s worst record three of the last four years, including one season in Utah, but after the Rampage dimmed the visiting Stars, dominating in all facets of the game, there may be a new message on the doorstep this season.

Don’t mess with this Texas team!

Ireland noted however, “It’s one game out of 82 and there are going to be lots of nights when we are going to be searching for it and we gotta make sure we do certain things well.”

Like crush the opponent into submission? Checking, hitting, energy, hitting, goaltending, hitting, defending, hitting, aggressively handling the puck and did I mention hitting?

It’s a good idea not to get too carried away after the big win, of course, but this victory was so convincing and so unexpected, I’m sure many Rampage fans will appreciate the week they get to savor this one for awhile. It has, to put it mildly, been a long time coming for long suffering fans here in San Antonio.

If Ireland uses a checklist, then he has a lot of marks in the “yes” column after Saturday night.

The positives were so numerous, Ireland‘s pen nearly ran out of ink.

Bill Thomas must be renting here by the day, as it appears he wants to keep his time short in San Antonio. We have a great town here, Bill, but Thomas, who played 24 games last season in Phoenix and was one of the last cuts from the NHL camp, will be on a flight west soon should he continue his hustling, inspired play of Saturday night.

Thomas seemed to be constantly on the puck, and scored two pretty goals, both high in the net and he just missed wearing the hat because of a bouncing puck in the third period. The Thomas, Jon DiSalvatore, Alex Leavitt line set the tone from the opening faceoff and didn’t stop hustling until they were showered, shaven and getting in their cars in the parking lot.

Enver Lisin is the real deal. The talented Russian was impressive in last year’s opener against Ireland’s Grand Rapids Griffins, and he put on another show in Game One for Ireland this year. You can’t coach quickness and speed, and Lisin has both. His two assists doesn’t reflect his impact on the contest and linemates Matt Murley and Joel Perrault were the beneficiary of Lisin’s solid work.

Perrault in fact, looks fine after his shoulder injury last season. He kept jamming and jousting at a loose puck on the doorstep in the second period, coaxing it over the line for a 5-1 Rampage lead.

It was also a breath of fresh air, seeing a Rampage player take so much delight in lighting the lamp. Perrault’s wide smile would explode on the AT&T Center big screen.

The score could have easily been 10-1 had Perrault not been robbed twice by overworked Stars goaltender. He also took some wicked hits and appeared to weather the storm well.